The world's top eight DNS providers now control 59 per cent of name resolution for the biggest Websites - and that puts the Web at risk, according to a group of Harvard University researchers.

The group was led by Harvard's Shane Greenstein, and warned that since 2011, the "entropy" of the DNS (referring to how widely distributed it is) has fallen, becoming concentrated in "a small number of dominant cloud services companies".

That state of affairs, the group's research paper (PDF) argued, creates fragility if attackers find a weakness in those DNS services.

The regulator sought to punish Straight Path for breaking its promise to roll out working high-speed cellular networks across the US using its rights to 5G spectrum frequencies.

Rather than build out decent cell tower installations, though, Straight Path only deployed temporary masts, and in some cases the equipment installed just simply stopped working. In short: Straight Path was supposed to roll out a decent 5G wireless broadband network across America, and instead

The US state of Washington is on the verge of passing a sweeping new set of net neutrality safeguards that would apply to all carriers within its borders.

The bill, HB 2282 , would bar anyone offering broadband services within the state from throttling traffic, offering paid prioritization, or blocking lawful content. The bill also requires ISPs to post their policies on traffic management within their networks online for all to see.

The legislation was passed overwhelmingly in both legislative bodies - 93-5 by the house and 35-15 in the senate - and is widely expected to be signed into

Ofcom has given all four UK mobile operators the go-ahead to bid in the forthcoming 4G and 5G auction, as well as Hull-based fixed wireless ISP Connexin and Airspan Spectrum Holdings, a subsidiary of US outfit Airspan.

Spectrum in two bands will be made available through the auction process, which Ofcom expects to start in late March.

That includes 40MHz to be auctioned in the 2.3GHz band, which will be immediately available for 4G services; and the 150MHz of spectrum to be auctioned in the 3.4GHz band, key to the rollout of 5G in the next two years.

The tale of the Qualcomm and Broadcom merger has taken a turn for the surreal, with The Men In Black (aka the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States – CFIUS) taking an interest.

CFIUS, an inter-agency panel that reviews the national security implications of foreign investments in the US, is likely a little concerned about Singapore-based Broadcom parking its tanks on Qualcomm's San Diego lawns.

Reuters reports that Senator John Cornyn, the number-two Republican in the Senate has sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin requesting that the CFIUS takes a closer look before Qualcomm's stockholder meeting